Escudero, Angara seek trust fund for soldiers, cops, Marawi rehab

SENATOR Francis Escudero has sought to create a P20-billion trust fund for soldiers and policemen who were either killed or wounded in the line of duty.

Escudero filed Senate Bill No. 1491 designed to institutionalize the trust fund, which will be established and developed by the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, on the other hand, pushed for the creation of a “Bangon Marawi Fund” to bankroll the reconstruction of the war-torn city and rebuild the livelihood of its displaced residents.

Angara, chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, said the seed money for the multiyear appropriation could be sourced from the P21. 8 billion Calamity Fund in the 2017 national budget. BERNADETTE TAMAYO